Operational Satellite Concepts for ESPA Rideshare

Launch Costs significantly impact the total cost of small satellite space systems. Rocket boosters alone can be expensive. When the time and money required for integration and launch site operations are added to the rocket hardware, the flyaway cost of a small satellite system can be staggering. Launch costs often exceed the costs of the actual satellites themselves. One way to reduce launch costs of small satellite systems is to take advantage of existing launch capacity. Potential opportunities exist for small satellites to rideshare with other satellites already traveling to space. Several of the planned Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) launches have excess capacity. In conjunction with the EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA), up to six small satellites are supported to rideshare with a primary satellite such as a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite or Global Positioning Satellite.